Chocolate Festival 2018

I had been on the fence about whether or not to run the 10k this year, but in the end I decided that it would be beneficial for me to run it as a tempo run, since I haven't had much speedwork lately.  I knew that it would absolutely not be a smart idea for me to all-out race it, and thankfully I was able to keep my competitive side in check and keep myself to tempo effort rather than race effort.  I ended up coming in 2nd place female. 

Pre-race chat with my former running buddy Jim and the female winner of the day.

and we're off!

My finish.  Coby and the girls got there just in time to snap this pic!

After a quick post-race shower, we headed back downtown for the Chocolate Festival.  It was fun to do it with the kids.  I think our favorite was the chocolate-covered bacon.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and once we had spent all our chocolate tickets, we headed out to the barn for a picnic lunch and time spent with Pony.  

Ready to eat some chocolate!

Pony was loving all the attention!

It was too nice out not to take some photos!

Gray Kitty photobombed us, and Pony was not very cooperative about joining us...because she just wanted to devour grass.  

Workout Wednesday : Circuit Training

New this week : Bar hangs! 

As usual, do 3 sets with 15 seconds rest between each exercise and 2 minutes rest between each set. 

My workout class switched back to Monday's this week, and I ran 20 miles on Sunday, so I took it pretty easy on this one.  I also tried not to put in too many leg-strength exercises so as not to overburden my legs any more than they already were!  

Meal Prep : 4/9/18

Pasta, Meatballs, Brussels Sprouts, & Cauliflower

1 lb ground beef 93/7 : $5.99

1 lb ground beef 90/10 : $5.49

1 lb ground pork : $2.99

2 lbs rigatoni : $2.00

24 oz brussels sprouts : $3.99

36 oz frozen cauliflower : $3.57

64 oz Prego fresh mushroom sauce : $5.49

8 oz mushrooms : $1.29

total cost : $30.81

(pasta & meatballs : 19 meals, veggies : 15 meals)

Meatballs : Mix the beef and pork with 2 eggs and a few tbsp of bread crumbs.  Shape into 1-1.5 inch balls, place in a large pot, and pour the sauce over them.  Cover and simmer for 1.5-2 hours.  

Pasta : Wait until the meatballs are done, Boil in salted water for 10-12 minutes, then mix with some of the sauce from the meatballs.  

Brussels Sprouts : Chop and steam/saute with olive oil, garlic powder, and a bit of water, until it's not too hard to pierce them with a fork. 

Cauliflower : Steam/saute with olive oil and garlic powder.  Add chopped mushrooms when the cauliflower is almost done.  

Workout Wednesday : Circuit Training

This week I introduced resistance bands and exercise sliders to the workout line-up.  We used the resistance bands for the tricep pull-downs and the sliders for pikes. 

March Review

I'm a little late with my March review...but there have been other things on my mind the last few days with getting engaged, Easter, and trying to catch up on housework over the 4 day weekend!

I'm still having to take training one day at a time, since getting hit with a head cold towards the end of the month.  I've thought a lot about not going to Pittsburgh, but I hate to back out of a race I've already signed up for, and so I mostly keep reminding myself that I don't have to "race" it, I can just use it as a long run and try to have fun out there!

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Week 1 : 3/1 - 3/4 : run 16.5

A successful 10 miler!  I took Coby along for his first long run...slowly turning him into a distance runner like me.  He'll never like running more than biking, but that won't stop me from pretending to try and turn him to the light side. 

Week 2 : 3/5 - 3/11 : run 30.9

On Tuesday I returned to the track for a workout : 6x800.  I didn't try to run them too fast, but was pleased with my consistency at 3:07, 4x 3:04, 3:01. They were consistently faster than the last time I did 800s way back in June, which was also pleasing.  On Wednesday we were hit with more cold snowy nastiness, but I still ended up with a successful 11.6 mile run. 

Week 3 : 3/12 - 3/18 : run 32.3

Spring Break this week!  I passed my NASM CPT test on Tuesday, and on Wednesday I got back to marathon mode with a successful 16 mile run. On Saturday Coby and I ran the Celtic Knot 5k in Lewisburg, with him finishing in 21:00 and me hot on his heels 1 second behind.  (He outsprinted me in the finishing stretch...)

Week 4 : 3/19 - 3/25 : run 25.1 

On Tuesday the weather was chilly with freezing rain, and I did not dress properly for the run.  2 miles in my head was hurting from being cold and wet, and I called it quits when we passed my house at 3 miles.  By Thursday, I was feeling pretty sick (and I wasn't the only one who ended up sick from running in that stupid weather...).  I took the weekend off to try and recover. 

Week 5 : 3/26 - 3/31 run 23.2

Had to start out running pretty slow this week to not anger my lungs which were weakened by a bad cough.  Still managed a good 8 mile run on Tuesday though, which replaced the speedwork we had planned.  My legs felt pretty dead on Wednesday and Thursday so I didn't run again for the rest of the week, though I did hike on Saturday and bike on Sunday. 

This month has been a constant back and forth of snowy cold weather and warm springtime weather.

Meal Prep Monday : 4/2/18

Pot Roast, Barley, Peas & Carrots

2.81 lb pot roast ($7.78)

12 oz beer (Sam Adams Boston Lager)

1 lb pearled barley ($1.29)

2 lbs carrots ($1.79)

24 oz frozen peas ($2.00)

1/2 large sweet onion (1 @ $0.71)

5 oz mushrooms (8 oz @ $1.99)

1/4 c whole weat flour

1/4 c brown sugar

salt

garlic powder

($15.56)

=15 lunches @ <$1.04 ea

Pot Roast :  Mix flour & sugar in the bottom of a crock pot, then add the roast and roll around to coat with flour/sugar mixture.  Pour beer around the roast, then cook on high for 5.5-6 hours.  Once done, shred the roast into the liquid, then remove the meat and divide up into lunch containers.

The barley : Add 6 cups of water to a large pot along with barley and approx 1/2 tsp salt. Cover, bring to a boil, then simmer with lid off until soft.  The package said 45 minutes...I forgot to watch the clock so I have no idea how long I cooked it for.  

The veggies : Chop the carrots and steam/saute with some olive oil and garlic powder.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Chop the onion and put it in the pan with olive oil.  When browned, add the peas and steam til peas are almost done.  Add chopped mushrooms, cook til done.  

The meal : Approx. 3/8 cup cooked barley, 2 spoonfuls carrots, 1.5 spoonfuls peas, a few pieces of shredded roast. I would normally put a bit more meat in each meal, but the roast wasn't quite big enough.  These meals are vegetable-heavy instead...probably healthier that way!

I started with 1/4 c each, but had some left over, so added another 1/8 to each meal.  Double meal containers got 1/2 c total. 

Flint Mill Trail : 3/31/2018

The weather was looking warm and dry (finally) on Saturday so we were looking forward to this hike all week.  Coby had done it before, but it was my first time on this particular trail.  He told me it was a tough hike...he wasn't joking!  It was quite the challenge for my worn-out chacos and my tired lungs (I'm getting over a cold).  The trail seemed pretty nearly vertical for a good portion of the hike, and the mud was slick. I slid several times on the way back down but thankfully never fell.  I'll be buying new chacos in preparation for this summer's hiking!

I huffed and puffed my way to the top where we enjoyed the gorgeous view out over Holston Lake.  I took some photos, and then Coby proposed!  I said yes of course and am looking forward to spending my life adventuring with him!  It was pretty special enjoying the view from the top of Flint Mill Rock and talking about the future.  We were lucky and there was no one else around to distract from our moment.